They say talent alone is not enough to flourish in the very unique environment that is Glaswegian football.
A resilience in the face of adversity, the ability to handle intense scrutiny. Marco Tilio may only be 21 but he has no shortage of life experience to provide a foundation for what appears to be an imminent move to Celtic.
Tilio has long been tipped as Australia’s next big thing, something that has not always been to his benefit. But 2023 has been a breakout year for an undoubtedly exciting young winger.
He has five international caps for Australia and was a late call-up into their 2022 World Cup squad after Hibs’ Martin Boyle was ruled out with a long-term knee injury. Tilio has also become an increasingly prominent player for Melbourne City, a club owned by the City Football Group [CFG] with whom Celtic have enjoyed a productive relationship.
It was through their CFG connections that the Parkhead side were alerted to the talents of Ange Postecoglou, and it looks set to serve them well once more as Tilio edges towards a big break in Europe. Over the weekend, Melbourne City manager Rado Vidosic all-but confirmed the player would be departing the A-League, and while he stopped short of naming Celtic, all the indications are he will become Brendan Rodgers’ second signing of the summer.
Background
Born in suburban Sydney in 2001, Tilio spent the first month of his life in hospital after being diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. Six weeks after being discharged, he returned suffering from hydrocephalus, a serious condition characterised by the build-up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Tillo remained under the watchful eye of neurosurgeons for a further year.
Mercifully, he made a full recovery and by age six was on a path which is now set to wind its way around the world to Glasgow. Tilio played semi-professionally with APIA Leichhardt and Sydney Olympic before joining Sydney FC in 2015 and signing his first professional deal three years later.
His full debut came in May 2019 during an Asian Champions League defeat to Kawasaki Frontale, with his A-League debut coming in February 2020 during a victory over Central Coast Mariners. But having made only six appearances between then and September, Tilio rejected a new contract in favour of signing for Melbourne City.
A further three A-League Premiership successes have followed, plus one A-League Championship – the finals series which follows the regular league campaign. His rise has, according to manager Vidosic, led to ‘huge interest’ from Europe. Tilio is said to have particularly thrived under his leadership, with a slow start to last season almost costing him a place at Qatar.
After including him for play-off matches, Australia manager Graham Arnold initially omitted him from his final selection until Boyle’s injury offered Tilio a reprieve. After the initial decision to leave him out, then-Melbourne City manager Patrick Kisnorbo insisted the level of scrutiny around one of the country’s brightest prospects had not helped his case.
Debate was heated Down Under over whether Tilio was worthy of a place in Arnold’s squad, further fuelled by his slow start to the 2022/23 season. As the spotlight shone brightly on his young forward, Kisnorbo was fielding constant questions about him.
“The hype hasn't helped,” the former Hearts defender said last year. “Every week we get asked about Marco, it's only normal that sometimes people listen.”
An eventual inclusion in Arnold’s squad may just have helped to quell the noise around Tilio, albeit he did not spend any time on the pitch in Qatar as the Socceroos reached the last 16. A change in manager at City, when Vidosic replaced Kisnorbo seemed to particularly aid Tilio.
Style of play
Tilio is a versatile attacker who has occupied a number of roles at Melbourne City. As per transfermarkt.com, he’s found himself deployed on both flanks, as an attacking midfielder and even a central striker when required. He made 30 appearances in total during the 2021/22 season, but not more than nine in a single position.
By contrast in 2022/23, 20 of Tilio’s 31 club appearances were on the right wing. Given he is left-footed, cutting in off the right hand side has become a feature of the winger’s game. Standing at just 5ft 6, he compensates his lack of stature with clearly excellent technical ability.
Deft close control and ability to operate in tight spaces are immediately evident when watching Tilio’s game. A technically-gifted Aussie at Celtic will inevitably draw comparisons with Tom Rogic, but in terms of Parkhead players from the recent past, Tilio is aesthetically and stylistically closer to Patrick Roberts, the former Manchester City loanee who became a firm favourite during Rodgers’ first season in charge.
Injury hampered Roberts’ return to Celtic the following year, but he was one of the most accomplished technicians to ply their trade north of the border at that time and looked destined for bigger things. Tilio looks cut from a similar cloth; diminutive, very left-footed, low centre of gravity and an excellent command of the football.
Another eye-catching trait is his awareness of space and knack for taking up good positions to receive the ball. Against packed SPFL defences, players with the ability to exploit minimal gaps can be invaluable.
Where would he fit in?
Celtic already have plenty options on the flanks and across the attacking areas. Where Tilio slots into the puzzle will depend on the system Rodgers wishes to implement and whether there are any departures in the coming weeks and months.
There has been speculation swirling around a number of players, with Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota among those to be touted for a reunion with Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. Liel Abada has also reportedly attracted interest from the likes of Ajax, while James Forrest’s days as a regular Celtic starter appear to have come to an end.
Daizen Maeda was a regular Postecoglou pick last season, albeit mainly from the left wing. And then there’s Sead Haksabanovic, a clearly talented individual who struggled for consistent minutes last season. The interest in Tilio, and in Yang Hyun-Jun, suggests that some turnover of personnel is likely, yet Celtic have highly efficient in their transfer forward planning of late.
Time will tell if they’ve uncovered another gem here.
